Cuisine Canada Scene

Dana McCauley is a food trend expert who uses her insights to write cookbooks, magazine articles and recipes for food companies. She is the former food editor for Homemaker’s Magazine, Gardening Life and Style at Home. She blogs daily at homemakers.com.

What’s your weakness? Dessert or mains?
How tragic is it that I must admit that my weakness is, in fact, weakness. I love desserts but I also love savouries. I find I get in a groove and can’t move on until I’ve had my fill of banana bread, curried lentils or whatever my favourite may be.

Who or what got you interested in food?
I hung out with old ladies when I was a kid. No, really, I did. My paternal grandmother lived with us and my maternal grandmother visited for a month or so each summer. Both were fantastic cooks and I was inspired by watching them whip up cinnamon buns, Swiss steak and perogies.

What inspires you?
It’s hard to pinpoint what inspires me. It can vary from eating in an interesting restaurant to chatting with someone in a waiting room. Most often I suppose hunger is my main motivation.

What was your favourite dinner when you were a kid? Do you like it now?
I loved the way my mom used to serve thick, juicy steaks on individual wooden boards with a baked potato. She was a true 70s style hound; she even had the individual wooden bowls for our Caesar salad. I do still love a good steak but I likely eat about half the sized serving my mom used to make for each of us. I can’t believe how much meat we ate!

What’s the first dish you remember making?
Chicken marengo. I was in grade six or seven and I made it for dinner for my family. When my mom and dad got home from work, I had the table set and was ready to serve my wine stewed chicken. I even peeled the pearl onions and served it over egg noodles. I was so proud and they were so encouraging. It was a great day!

Proudest food-related moment?
See above. : )

Strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
Hmmm. That’s an excellent question. I’ve recently learned that what I think is perfectly acceptable as food is totally offensive to others. That said, I think the weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten was this crazy, neon pink, freeze dried ice cream that my son got as a birthday present a few years ago. The package said that astronauts eat it but I can’t believe that for a minute. It’s more likely that they take it up into space to use as a repellent for aliens.

Favourite sound in the kitchen?
The coffee maker in the morning is wonderful but so is the sound of someone cleaning up. It’s a rare but much loved sound.

Favourite cooking smell?
Onions browning in butter. Hands down, the best smell in the world.

Quintessential Canadian dish?
The butter tart.

Molecular gastronomy, best thing ever or the unwearable haute couture of food?
Definitely not the best thing ever. It seems to reek of ego to me. I appreciate the skill but I’d rather eat a perfect peach than some foam topped concoction.

Cilantro — can’t get enough or tastes like soap?
I love it but it did taste soapy to me when I first started to eat it.

What non-local foods can’t you live without?
Balsamic vinegar and great quality extra virgin olive oil.

What’s your greatest culinary extravagance?
Every full moon my husband and I split a bottle of Veuve Cliquot. I also collect copper cookware which is pretty extravagant, too.

Most over-rated kitchen gadget?
The Silver Bullet. Or, the Ginzu Knife. I can’t decide.

What’s the most treasured possession in your kitchen? Why?
My Tuscan salt cellar that I bought when Martin and I were on our honeymoon in 1996. Every time I use it, I’m reminded of that great time in our lives.

Fill in the blank. If I never cooked / ate / heard about ______ again, I’d be happy.
Chicken nuggets.

If you could cook for anyone, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
It will sound sappy (I’d so much rather be pithy!) but probably my grandmothers to show them many stories I’ve added to the foundation they gave me.

What would you prepare for him/her?
Something seasonal, fresh and simple. If it were fall, likely a roast chicken with a sherry gravy, glazed root veggies with rosemary, a bitter lettuce salad and traditional double crust apple pie. And, to please my maternal grandmother, drip Eight O’Clock drip coffee. Lots of it.

What was the last thing you ate?
Spinach fettuccine with a ginger infused tomato sauce, bok choy and cashews.

If you had to work outside the culinary field, what would you do?
I’d like to be a literary reviewer. I read voraciously and I love discussing literature.